The popular “1911” style handgun designed by John Browning and produced by Colt under U.S. Pat. No. 984,519 has inspired countless imitators and variations on the original design, as well as creating an industry of aftermarket parts and gunsmiths employed installing them. However, deviations from the original design have not always been as reliable or durable as the original. In particular, when aluminum is used as a frame material rather than steel, damage can occur which steel frames do not suffer. Hollow-point ammunition, common in self-defense and law-enforcement applications, can dent or gouge an aluminum frame. Certain magazine followers can do the same. The impact of the barrel on the frame can, over time, result in peening, especially if high-power ammunition is used.
In addition, sometimes incompetent gunsmithing will result in damage to a pistol frame of any material, especially when the feed ramp is polished or “repaired” in an effort to improve reliability.
For some years, Evolution Gun Works has offered a steel replacement for 1911 feed ramps to repair damaged frames and improve durability. While popular and effective for its purpose, this part does not address damage caused by repeated barrel impacts to the vertical impact surface.
Another popular modification to the 1911 is changing of the panels located on either side of the grip. Existing grips vary in thickness, material, and utility, and range from custom carved ivory to molded plastic, and from cheap, smooth walnut to elaborately checkered exotic woods.
As the 1911 is a popular choice for self-defense, grips useful for concealed carry of firearms are in demand. These grips face a balancing act: aggressive checkering or other texturing is helpful when a firearm is used under stress, when sweat or blood may make it slippery, or a user's grip may be rendered suboptimal by adrenaline or the need for a quick draw and first shot. However, such textures can abrade both clothing and skin when worn close to the body, tend to snag on loose clothing when drawn, and can make it difficult for a user to slip his hand around the grip when drawing from a concealed position. In this sense, the demands of concealed carry are more stringent than those of duty carry by police officers, and call for different solutions.
Although modern polymer-framed pistols often do not have removable grip panels on the sides of their grips, they do have removable backstraps, which face similar constraints when used for concealed carry.